Coffee and Cake

We've given up tea treats for Lent

Sigh!

But we didn't give up sweets or desserts

Just teatime sweets!

On Wednesdays are church has evening services during Lent

The Youth of the church are providing dinner before church

I volunteered to bring a cake.

I had bananas in the larder

buttermilk in the fridge

pecans in the freezer

which made

a Buttermilk Banana Sheet Cake

The youth wouldn't miss one little piece

Which with a cup of coffee was my lunch!

The Johnsonville Indies is my blue and white coffeepot

There's something more civilized about pouring coffee from a china pot

rather from a glass carafe!

The cake is a good one

And the sheet cake is a perfect size!

I received compliments Sunday on the cake

And had requests for the recipe.

Alas, the inside bulbs have bloomed their last

But the outside ones have started

I picked up these two glass daffodil vases from one of my favorite shops,

Webster House in Kansas City

And they both were 20% off and came with bulb!

Besides paperwhites in January and February,

I can see these vases holding boughs of long stem flowers --

hydrangea, pussy willow, crab apple

And the bigger one might be perfect

for a December amaryllis!

The cake recipe --

BUTTERMILK BANANA SHEET CAKE

• Pam
• 2/3 cup butter
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas, about 3 large
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups  Flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• Your favorite cream cheese frosting or Betty Crocker in a can

HEAT oven to 350°F. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.

COMBINE shortening and sugar in large bowl; beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in bananas and vanilla.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in separate bowl; whisk or stir to blend. Blend about 1/3 of the flour mixture into the creamed mixture on medium low speed. Blend in about half of the buttermilk. Repeat with flour mixture and buttermilk, ending with remaining flour mixture. Stir in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.

BAKE 40 to 45 minutes or until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool. Spread frosting over top of cake.

It's Tuesday and I'm joining Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday and Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday